Zippers are an everyday fact of life and are present in all manner of clothing. For the most part, zippers are readily accessible, for example, on the front of coats and jackets and the fly of pants and slacks. Zippers are also used in less readily accessible areas on the back of clothing, such as on the back of women's dresses and the back of costumes.
Zipper assist devices are known. Some devices use a soft tether, such as a string or rope attached to a hook that is in turn attached to a pull tab on the zipper slider. Other known assist devices use a rigid rod, also attached to the pull tab. These devices preclude the need to reach from the bottom of one's back to one's neck or shoulder when opening or closing the zipper.
While such devices are to an extent useful, they require engagement with and disengagement from the zipper pull tab. Some of the known devices use an open hook to engage the pull tab, while others use a fastener that requires considerable manipulation (and perhaps the ability to see) the fastener as it is engaged with and disengaged from the pull tab.
Moreover, there are problems associated with how and/or where to store such an assist device. If, for example, it is removed from the garment after closing the zipper, then the wearer must return to wherever the device is stored or carry the device with him or her in order to reuse it (reattach the device to open the zipper).
Accordingly, there is a need for a zipper assist device that is readily engaged with and disengaged from (or attached to and removed from) a zipper slider. Desirably, such a device is engaged with and disengaged from the slider with minimal manipulation and without requiring visually examining the device. More desirably still, such a device allows the user to maintain the device with him or her between uses.